Comicarto, Mollina 2003

Inserito da iopensa il Mar, 2003-05-20 06:01

This strategy and this projects were created during the training course in Mollina. I personally wanted to work on comics and cartoons on human rights with young people and through informal and non-formal education before coming to the training course, but I didn’t know how to do it. The ideas presented in this strategy description are then the result of many suggestions and of many non-formal and informal talks… For example Szuszi suggested to involve young people since the beginning (youth exchange instead of a contact making seminar), Marcos underlined the importance to use comics and cartoons on human rights also to promote intercultural learning and suggested contacts and a wide bibliography to do it (workshops and activates which I would like to include in the youth exchange), Evelina proposed to use the project or some part of it also in Eastern European counties (follow up), Yasar focused the attention on local initiatives and on a decentralized strategy (local projects), François encouraged a detailed presentation and helped to clarify some parts of the descripion, Nuno presented the “Six Hat” method to facilitate the process of decision taking (for example in the feasibility visit)…
I think the projects are structured in a way which allows changes and improvements: to make it really our projects in a more “formal” way!

“Comicarto”

Synthesis: “Comicarto” is a strategy made of different projects. The strategy is created to promote human rights education and intercultural learning, using and producing comics and cartoons on human rights in the Euro-Mediterranean area. The different projects of “Comicarto” are independent (partners can join the projects at any time), but they all work to achieve the same aims.

Dates: from 1/11/2003 to 2006

Venue : Euro-Mediterranean area

Name of the participants involved, their country and organizations: youth organizations, organizations working on human rights education and organizations working on and with comics and cartoons – from the Euro-Mediterranean area

1. Description of the context (social analysis)

Why to use comics and cartoons on human rights to promote human rights education and intercultural learning in the Euro-Mediterranean area?

Because: – young people like comics and cartoons – cartoons are very popular and successful not only in Europe but in all the Mediterranean area – comics and cartoon are a simple and immediate language but at the same time they are very rich: they can allowed us to reflect, analyze, understand, exchange themes, approaches, cultural elements (for example dresses, local environment, stereotypes), languages (with different expressions too) and ideas. Those characteristics allow comics and cartoons to be a very useful and elastic tool. – producing comics and cartoons makes people play an active role in the society and makes people analyze in a personal way situations, environments, problems, fears… – comics and cartoons are visible: they can also be for awareness rising in publicity campaigns, articles and exhibitions…

Why to do it this way?

Because: – new materials and new methods on human rights education make projects richer – there are few comics and cartoons specifically on human rights – in Europe we know very little about comics and cartoons from the southeastern Mediterranean area (even though cartoons in particular are very popular in this area) – a strategy allows the organizations involved to work on a long term bases to strength their links, to really work together and to explore issues, methods and evaluations in a productive way – Intercultural learning and human rights education are also based on observing, understanding, sharing, confronting and exchanging: comics and cartoons from different countries and backgrounds will be a useful tool – There are very few links between different organizations. This strategy works in a transversal way: it brings together different type of organizations (youth NGO, but also organizations which work in the field of art, social field, international level, local level…) and organizations which use different methods (formal, non-formal, informal education)

2. Description of the target groups addressed and their perceived needs or concerns

“Comicarto” is for young people, it’s created by and with young people and it’s implemented through young people.
In the different phases of the project, different actors are involved: youth trainers and workers, young people (in particular between 15 and 25 years old), youth organisations, organisations working on human right education and organisations working on or with comics and cartoons.

3. Aims and concrete objectives

Aims

“Comicarto” is a strategy to promote human rights education and intercultural learning by using and producing comics and cartoons on human rights.

Objectives

Each project has different specific objectives inside “Comicarto strategy:

The different projects are presented in chronological order, please see the next page.

“Prepare Drawing Rights” feasibility visit

– to allow all the partners to actively participate in “Comicarto”: to be fully informed about it, to analyze it, to develop new solutions and to improve the overall strategy – to allow the partners to work together on the youth exchange “Exchange Drawing Rights”
Notes on method: the “Six Hat” method will be used during the feasibility visit

“Exchange Drawing Rights” youth exchange

– to allow all the partners to experience comics and cartoons on human rights as a tool in human rights education and intercultural learning – to share good practices – to analyze and discuss “comics and cartoons on human rights methodology” used during the exchange and to share ideas and good practices linked to “Comicarto” – to encourage participants to use comics and cartoons on human rights in their projects and to adapt it to their local reality and needs
Notes on method: compass activities, compass activities adapted to comics and cartoons, intercultural learning activities and games, as well as workshops on comics and cartoons

“Drawing Rights at home” local projects

– to use comics and cartoons of local and international artists to promote human rights education and intercultural learning – to encourage young people (in particular people between 15 to 25 years old) and professional comics and cartoon artists (involved also into workshops) to produce comics and cartoons on human rights – to create links with local organizations (NGOs, schools, university…) working in different fields (art, youth, social field, human rights, intercultural learning…) and using different approaches (formal, non-formal and informal education) – to promote the collection of material (comics, cartoons, games, methods and good practices)

“Analyze and Share Drawing Rights” seminar

– Share good practices on human rights education and intercultural learning through comics and cartoons on human rights – Analyze and sharing material – Adding new partners to the project – Select of the available comics and cartoons on human rights (to main criteria: quality and utility!)

“Producing Drawing Rights”: youth information

– To produce printed material (comics and cartoons on human rights): panels, guide book, promotional material – To create pedagogical tools to use comics and cartoons on human rights on human rights education and intercultural learning – To collect comics from the Euro-Mediterranean countries to be used in all kinds of projects

“Promoting Drawing Rights” follow up activities on local and international level

– organization of trainings, local projects, workshops, exhibitions…

4. Results expected

“Prepare Drawing Rights” feasibility visit

– Richer and more detailed strategy for “Comicardo” – precise planning and agreement on the youth exchange “Exchange Drawing Rights” – some better names for this strategy!!!

“Exchange Drawing Rights” youth exchange

– Build a strong and durable link among the participants and among the partners – Ensure a clear understanding of the strategy proposed and of the methodology used – Encourage the use and the production of comics and cartoons on human rights to promote human rights education and intercultural learning in local projects – Produce a multiplier effect on local and international level, through the contacts which the participants already have – Encourage a transversal attitude among the participants linking youth, art, social work, human rights projects, intercultural learning in formal, non-formal and informal education

“Drawing Rights at home” local projects

– Local projects made by the partners, using comics and cartoons on human rights to promote human rights education and intercultural learning – Local projects to promote the production of comics and cartoons on human rights made by young people (in particular people between 15 and 25 years old) and by professional comic and cartoon artists (they can be involved in workshops) – Presentation in the country of a prize context on comics and cartoons on human rights (schools, university, NGOs, local aggregation spaces…)

“Analyze and Share Drawing Rights” seminar

“Producing Drawing Rights”: youth information

“Promoting Drawing Rights” follow up activities on local and international level

Sorry, I didn’t have the time to look for and to write the expected results for all the activities: please look to the objectives sections for more information.

5. Possible follow-up foreseen

The project can be repeated – with new partners – by the partners – with new material (comics and cartoons on human rights or on a specific topic) – with new methods experienced by the partners – with changes (according to the priorities and the feed-back given by the partners)

6. Calendar of the main activities foreseen (including the preparatory stages)

“Prepare Drawing Rights” feasibility visit
Application: 1st of November 2003
Activity: between the 1st of February and the 1st of May
Venue: Italy
Responsible: AFSAI – Italy

“Exchange Drawing Rights” youth exchange
Application: 1st of June 2003
Activity: between the 1st of November 2004 and the 30 of April 2004
Venue: to be decide during the feasibility visit
Responsible: to be decide during the feasibility visit

“Drawing Rights at home” local projects
Activities: in particular after the youth exchange, but the organizations can start working on it already

“Promoting Drawing Rights” follow up activities on local and international level
Activities: 2006

7. Possible sources of funding and deadlines for application

The sources of funding can be of different kinds, according to the different aspects of the strategy: youth, art, social field, African countries, Euro-Mediterranean counties, human rights, intercultural learning.
Some examples: European Commission (feasibility visit, youth exchange, seminar, youth information, training courses), Council of Europe (training course on new methodologies using comics and cartoons on human rights), City Councils (exhibitions of the material, youth exchange), foundations (web projects, foundations which work with Africa and Middle East in the art field and in the social field), cultural centers…

For applications deadline please see the above calendar

8. Next steps after this course

An application for a feasibility visit in Italy will be presented by AFSAI the 1st of November 2003. The people who already showed an interest in the idea will be involved in the feasibility visit and the participants of the training course in Mollina will be informed and eventually invited to take part in the project if they want (youth exchange, promote human rights educations through comics and cartoons on human rights in local projects, seminar, training courses…).

To join the projects

Please contact Iolanda Pensa at iopensa@libero.it
The only requests for participants is that: – they are interested in using comics and cartoons on human rights in their local activities and projects – they are willing to promote the production of comics and cartoons on human rights in their country and area
The partners don’t need to have experience or skills in comics and cartoons or in the art field